IntroductionDB

Phil and myself have been fishing together for over six years covering thousands of miles in our search for fish , and after many long discussions during our travels we have agreed that our favorite fish was the Grayling. The lady of the steam is a most exiting fish with the finest colored dorsal fin in the fish world It uses this large dorsal fin its advantage when hooked in a fast flowing river, the Grayling breeds in March to April laying it eggs on course sand or fine gravel, it feeds on aquatic larvae, fresh water shrimps, flies and the like. There are many likes for the Grayling but number one is the clarity of the water and the gravely runs are also essential, the old days when it was said that grayling shoal in the deeper pools especially in the colder weather does not seem occur to the same extent today after much time spent on the river banks we feel that the possible cause for the change in habit is down to the fish eating birds such as the cormorants and the mergansers are specialist fish eating birds called sawbills they have serrated edges to their long beaks and are streamlined , propel themselves with their webbed feet so these diving birds can soon damage the shoals. I have recently had a Grayling of about two pounds that was badly speared and a large scale loss to both flanks, this fish was photographed and returned to the river, the heron is different in its habits and relies on stealth and wading so it does not have the same impact as the other two fish eating birds. To catch Grayling it is in my mind a must to look at the water, to see the likely lies but you will not very often take the grayling from the calmer gentle runs and hours can be spent watching for the sign of fish, I fish the dry fly most of the time whilst Phil as worked on the wet fly and the nymph to great reward.

Danny Benett

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